Billy Batson learns to be a real superhero in new Shazam! trailer

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

No one would blame you for thinking the new DC movie SHAZAM! was more of a comedy than a superhero blockbuster, given that all of the footage we’ve seen has been leaning heavily into the comic books-meet-BIG scenario. But of course, there’s going to be plenty of super-heroics starring Zachary Levi in the red, white and yellow costume, going up against Mark Strong as the baddie Dr. Thaddeus Sivana…but it's also basically a comedy. In the new trailer for the movie, the comedy and action meld better than ever before, and Billy Batson (Asher Angel) goes to hero school while learning plenty of mistakes and lessons in the most spectacular ways. For example, maybe don't shoot lighting at school buses.

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As with the previous footage, the advertising is leaning heavily into the comedy elements, but that's a smart move given how grounded and hilarious it looks. While other movies like THOR: RAGNAROK are mixing the humor with grand, unique set pieces the comedy here looks very character driven, much like a buddy comedy. But there's still plenty of action, and like the "Get em', Batman" bit from the trailer it's all centered around the fact that this buff hero is just a teenager with magic powers. Combine all of that and you have a great recipe for something that looks like an incredibly fun pre-summer blockbuster, and it should pack in the theaters before AVENGERS: ENDGAME steals all the business three weeks later. 

Here’s the synopsis:

We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s (Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart—inside a ripped, godlike body—Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he’ll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong).

SHAZAM! is in theaters April 5.